BC Conservation Data Centre: Species Summary
Oeneis alberta
Alberta Arctic
| Scientific Name: | Oeneis alberta Elwes, 1893 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Name: | Alberta Arctic | ||||||||||
| Classification / Taxonomy | |||||||||||
| Scientific Name - Concept Reference: | Pelham, J. P. 2008. A catalogue of the butterflies of the United States and Canada with a complete bibliography of the descriptive and systematic literature. The Journal of Research on the Lepidoptera. Volume 40. 658 pp. Revised 14 February, 2012. | ||||||||||
| Classification Level: | Species | ||||||||||
| Species Group: | Invertebrate Animal | ||||||||||
| Species Code: | LE-OENALB | ||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
| Conservation Status / Legal Designation | |||||||||||
| Global Status: | G5 (Nov 2023) | ||||||||||
| Provincial Status: | S2 (Jan 2020) | ||||||||||
| BC List: | Red | ||||||||||
| Provincial FRPA list: | |||||||||||
| Provincial Wildlife Act: | |||||||||||
| COSEWIC Status: | |||||||||||
| SARA Schedule: | |||||||||||
| General Status Canada: | 6 - Not Assessed (2000) | ||||||||||
| Ecology & Life History | |||||||||||
| General Description: | |||||||||||
| Subspecies Comments: | The nominate subspecies is found in Canada. There are four subspecies worldwide (Layberry et al. 1998). | ||||||||||
| Identification Comments: | Upperside greyish or yellowish brown, with zero to four eye spots on the forewing. Underside dark brown and pale lines. Wingspan 34-43mm. For detailed identification information and photographs refer to Guppy and Shepard (2001) and Layberry et al. 1998). | ||||||||||
| Provincial Ecology Comments: | Biologically limiting factors include the following although many of these factors are not fully understood. 1. Foodplant specificity 2. Flowering period of the foodplant 3. Habitat patch size and quality 4. Inter- and Intra-specific population structure: colonization potential in a fragmented landscape. Populations are vulnerable to natural stochastic events and extirpations. 5. Small occupied area of population. | ||||||||||
| Migration Characteristics: (Global / Provincial) | |||||||||||
|
Nonmigrant: Local Migrant: Distant Migrant: Within Borders Migrant: |
N / Y N / N N / N na / N |
||||||||||
| Provincial Mobility & Migration Comments: | Considered locally abundant in a few locations, but not common throughout the landscape. | ||||||||||
| Habitats: (Type / Subtype / Dependence) |
Grassland/Shrub / Grassland / Facultative - frequent use
|
||||||||||
| Global Habitat Comments: | This species is found in prairies, open bunch-grasslands (Layberry et al. 1998; Scott 2020). | ||||||||||
| Provincial Habitat Comments: | This species is known from grasslands; prairies; meadows; openings; sandy undisturbed prairie ridges and hills; grassy areas (Layberry et al. 1998). In BC, this species is confined to the grasslands of the Peace region and a restricted range in the Dawson Creek-Fort St. John and Clayhurst areas. In recent years, there have been increased threats to these habitats as a result of all terrain vehicle use, and increased grazing pressure from both domestic and wild ungulates. | ||||||||||
| Food Habits: |
Herbivore:Immature
Nectarivore: Adult |
||||||||||
| Global Food Habits Comments: | Larval hosts are bunchgrasses, including Festuca; addition to flower nectar, adults sip mud (Scott 1986, 2014, 2020). | ||||||||||
| Global Phenology: | |||||||||||
| Provincial Phenology: (1st half of month/ 2nd half of month) |
Jan: Larvae present and active / Larvae present and active
Feb: Larvae present and active / Larvae present and active Mar: Larvae present and active / Larvae present and active Apr: Pupae or prepupae present / Pupae or prepupae present May: Reproducing / Reproducing June: Reproducing / Reproducing July: Eggs present outside adult / Larvae present and active Aug: Larvae present and active / Larvae present and active Sept: Larvae present and active / Larvae present and active Oct: Larvae present and active / Larvae present and active Nov: Larvae present and active / Larvae present and active Dec: Larvae present and active / Larvae present and active |
||||||||||
| Provincial Phenology Comments: | Overwinter as mature larvae, pupate in April before last snow has melted (Layberry et al. 1998). Flight period from May to mid June. | ||||||||||
| Colonial Breeder: | N | ||||||||||
| Length(cm)/width(cm)/Weight(g): | / / | ||||||||||
| Elevation (m) (min / max): |
Global:
Provincial: |
||||||||||
| Distribution | |||||||||||
| Endemic: | N | ||||||||||
| Global Range Comment: | This species occurs in Canada, from British Columbia to Manitoba and in the United States in the Rocky Mountains from Montana to northern Arizona and New Mexico (British Columbia Conservation Data Centre 2020; GBIF 2023; SCAN 2023). | ||||||||||
| Authors / Contributors | |||||||||||
| Global Information Author: | T. Cornelisse | ||||||||||
| Last Updated: | Nov 08, 2023 | ||||||||||
| Provincial Information Author: | Heron, J. | ||||||||||
| Last Updated: | Aug 01, 2008 | ||||||||||
| References and Related Literature | |||||||||||
Alberta Conservation Information Management Centre. 2022. Element Subnational Ranking Form in Biotics 5 database. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia (accessed 2023). |
|||||||||||
British Columbia Conservation Data Centre. 2020. Element Subnational Ranking Form in Biotics 5 database. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. |
|||||||||||
Guppy, C.S., and J.H. Shepard. 2001. Butterflies of British Columbia. UBC Press in collaboration with Royal B.C. Mus. 414pp. |
|||||||||||
Layberry, R. A., P. W. Hall, and J. D. LaFontaine. 1998. The butterflies of Canada. University of Toronto Press. 280pp. + color plates. |
|||||||||||
Layberry, R.A., P.W. Hall, and J.D. LaFontaine. 1998. The Butterflies of Canada. University of Toronto Press: Toronto, Canada. 280 pp. + color plates. |
|||||||||||
Saskatchewan Conservation Data Centre. 2020. Element Subnational Ranking Form in Biotics 5 database. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia (accessed 2023). |
|||||||||||
Scott, J. A. 1986. The Butterflies of North America: A Natural History and Field Guide. Stanford University Press, Stanford CA. 583 pp. |
|||||||||||
Scott, J. A. 2020. Butterflies of the southern Rocky Mountains area, and their natural history and behavior. Papilio. New Series 27:1-391. |
|||||||||||
Scott, J.A. 2014. Lepidoptera of North America 13. Flower visitation by Colorado butterflies (40,615 records) with a review of the literature on pollination of Colorado plants and butterfly attraction (Lepidoptera: Hersperioidea and Papilionoidea). Contributions of the C.P. Gillette Museum of Arthopod Diversity. Fort Collins, CO: Colorado State University. 190 pp. |
|||||||||||
Please visit the website Conservation Status Ranks for definitions of the data fields used in this summary report.
Suggested Citation:
B.C. Conservation Data Centre. 2023. Species Summary: Oeneis alberta. B.C. Minist. of Environment. Available: https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed Jun 5, 2026).